Staff writer
Goessel started the Heart of America League season with three wins.
At Bennington, the Bluebirds defeated Canton-Galva 25-8, 25-23. Against Bennington, Goessel won 25-20, 25-16 and against Hutchinson Trinity, the Bluebirds were victorious 25-15, 25-22.
Although several of the games found Goessel scratching their way out of a deficit, Coach Crysta Guhr was pleased with an unblemished start to the season.
Invitational
The Bluebirds hosted eight schools for their invitational tournament Sept. 12. Goessel played Remington in the first match.
The Bluebirds seemed to be clicking, even though serving errors stalled several rallies. After winning the first set 25-18, Goessel’s momentum fell apart and the Bluebirds lost two sets 25-20, 25-22 to the Broncos for their first loss of the season.
Rebound, advance
The Bluebirds rebounded against a smaller South Haven team, winning in two sets 25-21, 25-8.
In order to advance to bracket play, the Bluebirds needed a win against Halstead. The girls responded with 25-17, 25-18 wins.
In the semifinal match, Goessel faced undefeated Central Christian.
The Bluebirds battled hard but lost, 25-17. Taking advantage of Cougar mistakes, the Bluebirds won the second set, 25-16.
In the third set, the score was tied at 13-13, but Goessel was only able to put four more points on the board as they lost the set, 25-17.
Third place
In the third-place game, Goessel faced Remington Broncos for a second time.
The Bluebirds fell behind, 10-6, but rallied to tie the game, 16-16. The Broncos scored five straight and ended the set 25-21.
In the second set, a tired Goessel team fell behind 9-2 and would get as close as 17-15 but Remington held on to win third place in the tournament with a 25-18 win.